Exclusive: Andrew Jordan reveals truth behind leaving the BTCC, learning "not to trust anyone" after BMW/WSR debacle and classic car racing with JRT
Andrew Jordan is a British racing driver who has had a very fascinating career. The Brit started racing in Rallycross, becoming a decorated champion in the sport before switching to a career in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). Jordan went on to become a touring car champion in 2013, and competed for the title on several occasions before suddenly leaving the sport he once loved.
Since leaving the BTCC, Jordan has focused his time on his family business, Jordan Racing Team (JRT). The company specialises in restoring, preparing and racing classic cars at several events, with the most famous classic car event in the UK being the hugely popular Goodwood Revival.
Andrew Jordan speaks with DIVEBOMB's Owen Bradley about his departure from the BTCC, the BMW situation, his racing business, sharing the track with former competitors and more in this exclusive interview.
During the 2019 BTCC season, three championship contenders emerged. Colin Turkington, Dan Cammish and Andrew Jordan. Going into the final race weekend at Brands Hatch, any of the three could have been the touring car champion.
In the final race, it looked set that Cammish was going to clinch the title. However, on the penultimate lap of the final race of the season, Cammish's Honda Civic Type R had a brake failure, sending the Brit hard into the barriers at Hawthorne bend, coming at the end of the fast back straight. With the dramatic crash, Turkington subsequently won the championship, with Jordan finishing just three points away from title glory.
Earlier that year, at Donington Park, Jordan was taken to the hospital following a huge crash on the opening lap of Race 1. The Brit would be forced not to compete at any of the races in Donington Park later that day due to injuries sustained in the incident. Had he not been involved in that incident at Donington Park, he likely would have become a two-time BTCC champion.
At the end of 2019, long-standing sponsor, Pirtek, announced that they would no longer be partnering with Jordan. This came as a major blow at the time, with his BTCC career subsequently left hanging in the balance for the next season.
Shockingly, ahead of the delayed 2020 BTCC season due to the COVID-19 virus, Jordan announced his departure from the championship. Despite signing for the factory Team BMW West Surrey Racing squad in January 2020, come the end of summer, Jordan had taken the decision to leave the BTCC.
Asked how difficult it was to walk away from the BTCC, Jordan revealed: "At the time, I was kind of done with the BTCC. I didn't enjoy it anymore. I don't think it's really commercially viable, I don't think it's that achievable for many drivers to make a living in it despite being good enough to make a living in it.
"I had already told my partner that if I had won it that weekend at Brands, I was going to stop. That was my mindset, if I won it, I was 100% going to stop. I still wish that I had stopped then, because what went on after that was because I didn't stop then. After 2019, that was me kind of done."
He added: "I just took the view of, 'how long do you want to keep trying to raise £500k?', for something I wasn't really enjoying, or you could grow a business that you do enjoy, make a living from it and be in control of your own destiny with it. It was a very easy decision for me really."
Asked if he would ever consider a return to the BTCC, he quickly answered: "Absolutely not, no."
The unfortunate reality of a championship like the BTCC, is that a driver must come into a team with their own funding and pay for their seat. In Jordan's case, he was personally sponsored by companies like Red Bull, Pirtek, Revive! and the Chambers group.
Pirtek were particularly important in Jordan's career, with the fluid transfer solution company sponsoring the Brit's career from 2010 through to the end of 2019. Jordan was also a Red Bull athlete, and was sponsored by the energy drink company from 2014 until the end of his BTCC career.
Speaking about Pirtek and the termination of their long-standing partnership in 2019, Jordan stated: "Pirtek got sold out, and what you'll find with big companies is that new management want to make changes, and they wanted to stop the racing program. We had been fortunate, we'd been with them for about 18 years, and at the time we had a contract, but they wanted to stop. It all worked out okay and we wouldn't have any of this if it wasn't for them. But, as I say, you find with big businesses that they want to make changes, so I had to accept that for what it was."
Pirtek continues to have a large motorsport presence in Australia, where their logo can be seen around the Bathurst circuit in Mount Panorama. Despite losing a major sponsor, Jordan attempted to continue racing in the BTCC ahead of the 2020 season, signing with West Surrey Racing and BMW in a more prominent role.
Jordan was tipped as one of the favourites to win the championship coming into the season, given his strong form at the end of 2019, remaining a title contender despite missing an entire weekend of racing action. However, despite signing a contract with WSR and BMW for 2020, Jordan would step back from the BTCC just before the season started.
Asked about the biggest thing he has learned in his career, Jordan revealed: "A big learning point was probably the whole West Surrey Racing debacle when I stopped. Don't trust anyone. That's a shame, but that's how it is. I don't trust many people now. You have to realise that not everyone is like how you are. I'm very trustworthy and true to my word. Many people in motorsport aren't like that, and that's a shame.
He added: "That's definitely something I learned, is to trust very few people in the industry. It really is a shame, but that's just how it is. You probably shouldn't tar everyone under the same brush, but there is a lot of people out there like that, unfortunately."
Some notable drivers have also left the BTCC over the last few years. Turkington left the championship at the end of 2025 and has been competing in the British GT championship, and the 2024 BTCC champion, Jake Hill, has been racing across various different championships and events such as the 24 Hours of Spa in GT3 machinery.
GT3 racing is currently in a new golden age, with four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen competing in events like the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi competing full-time in the GT World Challenge Europe.
Asked if he would ever consider racing in a modern championship again, Jordan revealed: "Not long ago, I tested a Porsche GT3 at Portimão, and it was a cool car, but it didn't really float my boat. If I'm honest, the only real modern racing that I watch now is the European Rallycross, I don't really watch anything else. I love the old cars, I'm hugely passionate about it and our business, so I just wouldn't have the time to put into something to be competitive, or to be as competitive as I want, so it's not on my radar at all."
Jordan's family business, JRT, has been going from strength to strength each year since he retired, with the squad becoming a more prominent figure in classic car racing and restoration. Andrew runs the organisation with his father, Mike Jordan, who was also a racing driver that competed in the BTCC and British GT.
The Goodwood Revival is a flagship classic car event, making it a vital weekend for businesses like JRT to show what they can do and advertise to potential clients. With Andrew racing several cars run by the JRT organisation, the company is incredibly hands-on with classic cars. Their competition is fierce as well, with Andrew Jordan racing against motorsport legends at the Revival, like F1 champions Jenson Button and Jacques Villeneuve, as well as NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson.
Talking about the impact of an event like the Goodwood Revival, Jordan said: "The Revival to us, has been very good in terms of business, it's a huge shop window. Goodwood is really what started our business in the sense that, me and Dad wanted to have a car to come and do it. That's what started it all really.
He added: "As an event, it's good for us business-wise as a lot of people watch the event. In terms of driving, it's very special, one of the most challenging tracks you'll ever drive at. From a business point of view, it's a good place to come and advertise and also be competitive."
Despite not competing in any modern racing championships, Jordan does occasionally still race against former touring car rivals at classic car events like the Goodwood Revival. At the 2026 edition of the Revival, various BTCC champions and legends made appearances and raced against one another. Drivers such as: Jason Plato, Colin Turkington, Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden.
Speaking about competing with his former rivals, he said: "It's quite funny really, it's almost like it's come full circle. Weirdly, we now run a car that Gordon Shedden drives, a car that Sam Tordoff shares with his dad. We actually have quite a few people that are doing modern racing, who are clients of ours, or driver coaches of clients of ours.
He continued: "Bobby Thompson is another one, he did a few years in touring cars and he's got a client with us as well. So, it's funny really, you have drivers that are still doing touring cars or have done touring cars, and they do this for fun because they enjoy it and want to see what the hype is all about. I really like it, there's a huge variety for customers in terms of skill level and experience - so to work with professional drivers, I always enjoy that."
Andrew Jordan has driven several different types of racing machines in several different types of championships throughout his career. The BTCC is often more scrappy, with drivers battling one another intensely, contact is typically expected at every turn.
However, that's not the case when it comes to classic car racing, with the cars often a lot more fragile and expensive to restore. Despite the fundamentals of racing being the same, the approach to the two racing formats is slightly different, with drivers taking far more care of their historic cars.
Speaking about the unique style of historic racing, Jordan said: "In historic racing, it's hard racing but it's very respectful and contact isn't really a thing, or shouldn't be. I think that's why everyone enjoys it a little bit more, there isn't a needle between drivers, we're just here to have a good time, put on a good show and enjoy ourselves. But, saying that, it's still serious business.
He added: "Certainly at events like the Goodwood Revival, it's very valuable cars that will go up in value if they do well and things like that, so it's still very competitive and the owners are very competitive themselves. From the outside, when I first got involved, people probably used to look at historic racing and say that it's just people driving around in some sort of a demo, but it's not at all, it's really close and competitive racing."
At the 2026 Goodwood Revival, the cars and bikes which came to the event, were worth an estimated combined value of over £1 Billion. The event saw an estimated 150,000 fans in attendance at the track in Chichester and with Goodwood also holding a strong presence on social media, the event has been seen by millions of people from across the world.
Over the years, JRT has gained more exposure at flagship events like Goodwood. Their social media presence has grown and they have become a cornerstone of the Revival paddock, assisting other teams and running several cars.
Speaking about JRT's process and progress, Jordan stated: "I like to think that we're one of the best at what we do, we don't bang our own drum, we just do the job. We're very trustworthy, always have been, and that's proven with our long-standing relationships with people like Pirtek for 18 years, John Guest for 20 years. We've got a customer who started racing with us in the 1990's, so we're very trustworthy people, we do what we say we'll do.
He continued: "A lot of these people in historic racing are in a very good, fortunate and well-deserved financial position, so you have to be trustworthy with these people. A big thing for me, is to have these people trusting me. We don't cut corners, and with this sort of mentality, you'll keep getting business and as long as our customers go away happy, I'm happy. It's not about how much money you can make off these people, it's doing the job right."
From starting his career in Rallycross, to his most notable motorsport feats in the BTCC, to now racing classic cars and running the family business, Andrew Jordan is a versatile driver who has won championships and achieved major victories in practically everything that he has done.
Asked about his versatile driving ability and how he handles different types of racing machinery, Jordan said: "I've always been a driver who's driven off feeling. I've always been fortunate to jump in something and very quickly get my head around what it needs to work. That's something I actually really enjoy with the historic cars, is jumping in different cars all the time and being challenged by different cars, I'm not a one-trick pony.
He added: "I really like the challenge of that, and I do think that in my latter years of the BTCC, the historic cars helped me with that, just being able to get on with it rather than over-analysing loads of data and set-ups, just driving it for what it is. I like jumping into different things."
Not only has he driven different types of machinery, he also raced different types of touring cars and currently races different types of classic cars at each event, even competing in several cars across the Goodwood Revival event.
In his BTCC career, that began in 2008, Jordan initially raced with a Honda Integra Type-R whilst with the John Guest team. He would then switch to racing a Vauxhall Vectra between 2009-2011 whilst with VX Racing, which became Pirtek Racing in 2010.
From 2012-2014, Jordan raced a Honda Civic, claiming the BTCC title in 2013. He then used an MG 6 GT in 2015, before switching to a Ford Focus ST in 2016. The year after, he joined the BMW ranks with Pirtek and used the BMW 125i M Sport car, before then switching to the BMW 330i M Sport in 2019.
Asked what his favourite car to drive has been so far, he stated: "Probably a Rallycross car, they're probably the most exhilarating to drive. Obviously, my championship-winning Honda was fantastic, that was the best touring car I've ever driven. I'm really lucky, I've driven so many things so it's difficult to pick, but I would probably say a Rallycross car. I love that sport."
Jordan remains one of the most fascinating drivers that Britain has ever seen. An accomplished driver who has already proven himself as a champion that can race and adapt to all types of different machines.
Despite his success, the motorsport industry can be harsh and unforgiving. Jordan is a perfect example of somebody who has experienced both sides of the coin, from championship glory and success, to the financial struggle that comes with competing for those championships.
However, despite the peaks and troughs, in 2026, Jordan is known as a touring car champion that can hold his own against other motorsport legends on the track, and is an intelligent businessman off the track with JRT.
Asked what advice he would give to his younger self, Jordan said: "Enjoy it more. Enjoy the whole journey. Motorsport is a bad example, you're always looking for the next thing. Halfway through the year, you're looking for funding for the next year, and that's a real shame, you don't enjoy it as much as you should, so I would say just enjoy what you're doing rather than always looking for the next thing."
Jordan's fascinating journey continues, with the Brit racing at certain classic car events with JRT, and the brand becoming one of the biggest in the classic car restoration and racing business.
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